If you’re a scientist, you would think that if enough data is presented to you, then you’d be convinced of something. If the Earth was round, if chocolate milk comes from chocolate cows, if aliens existed, for all of these claims, you’d need facts.
What about if fat is healthier than protein? Or if plant-meat is healthier than real meat, or if vaping is better than smoking, you’d need facts, right?
Yes, but now you can get facts from anywhere, from anybody, at any time. It’s a huge issue, but that’s the world we live in.
Some of the issue with current science communication is that there’s an ivory-tower or a curse of knowledge effect. The fact that you’d think that you know the science and can prove your facts can convince someone who might not be a scientist to believe you but like every person who’s had a bad thanksgiving dinner knows, chances are, people don’t get convinced when you present them the facts.
Belief is interesting because it crosses an interesting threshold. It’s different from opinion, and it has this strange power to irrationally twist fact to validate your claim. Belief is not 100% knowing if it’s true, but gathering floating bits of information (anecdotal or otherwise) and combining them into maybe 50 or 60% if it’s true, and believing that it’s true.
Of course, this is a huge problem when scientists get frustrated convincing people that either the Earth is round or climate change is real. But the world we live in is based on belief and sometimes, you need the right language and tactics to get them to understand facts. And sometimes it’s just being at the right place at the right time.
Language and Tactics
Have you ever convinced someone to change from one political party to another or that food science won’t kill you? It’s very hard and you won’t convince everyone.
There are many tactics. One that is popular is being very divisive. I hate to point fingers but a good example of this is foodsciencebabe who will call out a lot of Non-GMO, Organic brands and companies, and tell people to unfollow or even report them. Her tone can be seen as aggressive, but it works. She has 22,000 likes on facebook and a lot more on Instagram. Is she pushing the needle on educating the people who need to hear it? Or is she preaching to the choir to the people who just want to know they aren’t alone? Perhaps. Not sure. PETA is another example of this type of language and tactics.
Another tactic is to convince by wonder. The Good Food Institute is probably the best on this because most of their marketing is not based off of aggressiveness, but showcasing the fascination of how alt-meat can impact the world. Though the GFI does have tons of data about the impacts of alt-meat, they present it as a sense of wonder, not aggression. Does it work? Perhaps, but there are still people in social media who will say they are wrong. Again, it’s a complex world out there.
The main tactic, especially if you want to start building a following, is to start with like-minded people until you have a critical mass to make a statement. My Food Job Rocks started as a resource for food scientists or people looking into food science. Because we have a mass of interviews and a reputation of being insightful, this has attracted other people. I sometimes go to mixers in the Bay Area and a lot of tech people listen to my podcast because they are interested in food and if I can get them interested, I can get them educated.
Pockets of Authority
People who believe in alternative medicine truly believe in their doctor. People who believe that gluten harms them, will listen to someone who talks about the nutrition of gluten. Biases take in effect and if the alternative medicine doctor heals them or if not eating gluten allows them to lose 15 pounds, they are dead-set convinced that these beliefs have saved their lives.
Authority is based on how impactful someone is on a person’s life, it’s a snowball effect where at the height of it all, people will believe in what you say because other people think you’re legitimate. Reputation matters.
Yet looking at the pockets of authority, though there are a lot of supporters, there are a lot of people that dislike them.
Most people who are threatened by a 15 year old girl at a climate summit attack her faults instead of listening. Most people who are threatened by an orange man in a white house also attack their faults instead of listening.
We live in an age where authority can be anyone who believes in you and the more divisive you are, the more credible you are for a certain type of people.
The issue with authority is that it is everything a scientist is against. It involves revealing yourself, taking stances, and having an opinion where a typical scientists likes to be in the background, looks at all options and facing the facts. Scientists make bad authorities because it’s the opposite of what we’re about.
So most scientists hide under organizations, which in the general public, makes them look faceless.
In the age of influencers, when people can listen to someone with no scientific knowledge and convince thousands to follow a dangerous diet because it made them lost weight, this is how the world works. Scientists can’t just focus on the facts, but have to convince someone to believe the fact is true and the best way is to be an authority.
It’s scary to say your name and show your face. As a scientist, I have a really hard time doing this, but it matters. It matters that we as scientists, can influence people to make smarter choices and the only way to convince someone is to show a human is behind the lab coat.
Real-Life Situations
No one can live everyone’s lives, so we have to hear their stories.
Telling people’s stories, and gathering open opinions of things is the best way I’ve learned to open my mind. Hearing how a protein shake allowed someone to lose 200 lbs is inspiring and probably true so why not devote yourself in believing everyone should do it.
When it comes to changing someone’s mind, you have two avenues: when they are first introduced to something or when it impacts them.
If a frequent wildfire fire burned your house in California and you lost everything, you might be more convinced that climate change might be the issue.
If you survived a car crash, then you might be more convinced that there is a guardian angel watching over you.
There are many factors that allow someone to change their beliefs but it is more of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
However, when something bad happens to someone, they will most likely search the internet to find other people with similar results so they can feel like you’re not alone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve googled about being fired, starting a startup, or moving to a new city just to feel like I’m not alone. That’s why it’s important to share your story because now, they can matter.
Of course, we can’t live everyone’s lives, but we can hear their stories. Once death and despair, or hope and perseverance enter the picture, and it can be talked about in a safe setting, that has the ability to change someone’s belief. You can’t do that with aliens, flat earth, or chocolate cows but who knows in this day and age? Perhaps you can be someone who can change someone’s belief, but do it tactfully, do it with grace, respect and empathy because those that are on the fence need to see that there is a human behind the facts.
I really enjoyed this. Thanks!